


Ice Water In My Veins

by Oort



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: (Non binary Noctis and trans demiboy Prompto), Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Post-Game(s), Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 19:10:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9456722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oort/pseuds/Oort
Summary: It’s been a decade since Ardyn captured him, and Prompto thought he was over it. He’s not.  It’s been a long time coming, but he’s finally getting help.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For this fic Noctis is non binary and uses they/them and the title “King,” and Prompto is a trans demiboy and uses he/him.

  
This shouldn’t be so hard for him.

He hadn’t—Gods— _died_ like Noct had, or the hundreds when Insomnia fell, or when the darkness overtook them all.Hadn’t even come that close (wasn’t allowed to, wasn’t _allowed_ to), like Luna.Hadn’t had much besides scrapes and bruises, still had all his limbs, his head, healed so long ago and it had been _ten years goddammit—_

Prompto hugged his knees to his chest and watched the way his arms were shaking. One kind hand on his wrist and his brain had gone _well aren’t you a pretty one_ and now he was here.In a utility closet. _Pathetic._

_It’s cute how you think they care,_ said Ardyn’s voice in his head. _They don’t, you know. In case I was being unclear._

“They do,” Prompto said to the stuffy air.Ardyn chuckled, right beside his ear, and Prompto flinched.He dug his nails into the side of his calves.Gladio had slapped him once, when he’d found Prompto doing that, his eyes scared.Prompto curled his hands into fists instead.Not as good, without the pain to ground him, but something.

It was the middle of summer, and Prompto _knew_ it was hot, had just been complaining about it, but he couldn’t stop shivering.He rocked back and forth and tried to breathe past the hammering of his heart. _In count four. Hold. Out count eight. You’ve done this before stop hyperventilating could you be any more self-obsessed—  
_

A howl from outside; Prompto raised his head to look at the sliver of light that crept in around the door and realized that something had been scratching at it for the past several minutes.He couldn’t move, he _couldn’t,_ but it turned out he didn’t have to: the handle clicked and the door swung open without him, and Pryna bounded in to snuffle at his pants.  
  
“Hey there, puffball,” Prompto croaked, and then he was crying.Pryna shoved her way into his arms and let him bury his face in her fur.She smelled like dog, not metal or blood or anything else, and her ears were soft beneath Prompto’s fingers. “You’re a good girl,” he said, smoothing a hand over her flank.“You knew I was having a bad time, didn’t you? You found me.” He could hear the way he was stuttering between sobs, and his nose and eyes were a streaming mess, but Pryna butted her head up against his chin and settled down in his lap like she was planning on staying for a long time.“Good girl,” he repeated.“Good dog.”

“Pryna, honey, you’re acting like you’re worried—oh, Prompto,” someone said, and then Prompto and Pryna were enveloped in Luna’s comforting arms.“Noctis, she’s right here. Prompto’s crying.”

_No,_ Prompto thought, and shoved at her chest.Luna pulled back, radiating concern, but Pryna stayed right where she was.He was grateful for that.  
  
It was easy to hear Noctis approach. They weren’t exactly light on their feet.Still, the soft touch took Prompto by surprise. He jerked back and hit the corner of a shelf, hard, with his right shoulder.The spray bottles on it wobbled dangerously.So maybe a closet wasn’t the most comfortable place for three grown adults and a dog.  
  
He thought Noctis was going to say as much, because they made a lunge for the door—but then they closed it.It seemed darker than before, after the sudden influx of light. Prompto was suddenly hyperaware of everyone’s breathing.Pryna barked.

“Noctis,” Luna started, exasperated, but her move to re-open the door was cut short when she bumped into what sounded like a bundle of mops.Noctis threw out a hand to catch them—their joints cracked—and missed, the clatter of them falling against the opposite wall amplified in the tiny space.One of the handles rapped Prompto on the head. 

“Ow.”  
  
“Shit, sorry, didn’t mean to do that.” Noctis tried to settle back and the mops rattled again.They froze, a hand on Prompto’s knee for balance, and huffed.“Gimme a moment.”Luna clucked her tongue as they eased themselves down with much grunting and frantic grabs for falling cleaning paraphernalia.By the time they had found themselves a semi-stable position squashed against Prompto’s side, Prompto had managed to wipe his eyes on the collar of his shirt and catch his breath.  
  
There was an awkward silence.

“Figured the dark would make it easier for you to talk to us, but I guess that didn’t work,” Noctis said finally.Despite himself, Prompto laughed.He shook his head and pressed his face again into Pryna’s neck.  
  
“Nope.”  
  
“You don’t have to,” Luna said.She laid a hand on Prompto’s arm, tentative, asking permission. This time he let her.  
  
He _wanted_ to talk to them, but he couldn’t. This was just his own head not letting him go, even though everything was over and done with, and had been, for _ages._ He couldn’t put that on them.Prompto took a shaking breath and twisted his hands in Pryna’s fur.She yipped and tensed up in his lap, and he forced his fingers to lie flat.  
  
“Sorry, girl,” he said.Pryna liked his cheek.  
  
It was silly, huddled in here with Noct and Luna like they were schoolchildren playing hooky.Prompto could feel the grit on the floor against his leg where his pants had come untucked.He felt sticky, tears drying on his cheeks and Pryna’s drool on his hands.  
  
Noctis fumbled for Prompto’s face and shoved a crumpled tissue against it.“It’s not used,” they assured him.“Just been in my pocket for a while.”

Luna made a disgusted noise.“Why am I married to you?”  
  
“Because you love me,” Noctis said.  They reached out to flick her and caught Prompto instead.“Oops. Well, you too.”  
  
“Noctis!” Luna pulled Prompto into her chest.“You’re not an afterthought, Prom.Noct, stop being mean to him.”  
  
“When was I mean?” Noctis tried to crawl into Prompto’s lap and ran up against several pounds of dog.  
  
“Move, doggy,” they said.  
  
Pryna didn’t.

“I’m the King, you’re supposed to do what I tell you.”  
  
Pryna pushed her muzzle into Prompto’s armpit.

“I can’t believe my throne has been usurped by a dog.”

“Did you mean your actual throne, dear, or just Prompto’s lap?”   
  
“What’s the difference?”  
  
“I think the Council might be a bit surprised if they walked into the throne room and just found Prompto in a chair.”

“Fuck the Council,” Noctis said.They nuzzled the side of Prompto’s neck.“Hey, how are you feeling?”  
  
“Better,” Prompto said, and was surprised to find out that it was true.He scratched the underside of Pryna’s chin and leaned his head on top of Noctis’.Noct and Luna always did manage to cheer him up, sometimes without him realizing it was happening.Even when he tried to hide from them.“I just sometimes…things.”  
  
Luna, part of the way through combing Prompto’s hair back, stilled.“Was it Ardyn again?”  
  
_How had she—?_ The air in the closet was thick suddenly, stifling.Prompto worked a hand between himself and a whining Pryna to press against his ribs.Over his head he could hear Noctis and Luna talking, alarmed. Noctis moved behind him, wrapping their arms around him, and Luna peppered kisses over the side of his head.  
  
“It wasn’t anything you said,” she assured him.“Listen. You know I can tell what it is, when something’s ailing someone—”  
  
“He didn’t get me _sick,_ ” Prompto snapped, but that was wrong, because he _was._ He’d been fine for ten years, and then Ardyn had come back like a nightmare except _real,_ and now he was jumping at shadows.  
  
“Oh, love,” Luna said.“None of this is your fault.”  
  
Pryna was licking his face again, trying to knock him backwards.Would have, if Noctis hadn’t been there.They stroked gentle fingers down Prompto’s side.  
  
“Prom,” they said, haltingly.“If you wanted—you know there’s someone that I talk to.”  
  
“No!” He couldn’t have the same person who heard all of Noctis’ troubles had to listen to his. They’d hate him for being so weak in comparison.  
  
“Someone else then, maybe?” Luna asked.“You can’t keep locking yourself up in broom closets.It’s not good for you.”  
  
“It’s worked well for me so far,” Prompto said, but he knew she was right.It felt like an unraveling to admit.He tilted his head up to kiss Luna, twisted around to kiss Noctis as well.“I…can think about it?”  
  
“Good,” said Luna.Noctis patted Prompto’s arm.

“You know we’re here for you,” they said.  
  
“I know,” Prompto said.The floor tiles were pressing a pattern into his ass, and he was still stuffed against bottles of cleaning chemicals in a space far too small for everyone it was holding, but at least he had the two of them.“I know. Thank you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> So I have a theory that everything…went into a sort of stasis while Noctis was in the Crystal, and that included Prompto’s healing. Prompto decided not to deal with it, and everything was so fucked that he didn’t have to. But now there’s peace and Prompto is happy, and his brain decided it would be a good time to have things surface again.
> 
> Title from “Organ Donor” by Jeremy Messersmith.
> 
> If you want to chat about this fic or anything else, you can hit me up on my [writing blog](http://usefulthumbs.tumblr.com/).


End file.
